Rescuers on Broad Peak have recovered the body of world-renowned mountaineer Nirmal “Nims Dai” Purja, three days after a massive avalanche swept through an international expedition. The tragic event occurred at an altitude of approximately 5,700 meters, taking the lives of all ten expedition members on the world’s 12th-highest mountain.
Hazardous Rescue Operation Underway
The Alpine Club of Pakistan (ACP) confirmed that ground rescue crews reached Purja’s location alongside three other expedition members. Severe weather conditions, steep slopes, and lingering avalanche risks have grounded helicopter operations, forcing ground teams to transport the recovered bodies down to the Japanese Camp under extreme physical hazard.
”The ground rescue team has reached Nims Dai at approximately 5,700m on Broad Peak — a mountain he loved, and a mountain that has now taken him from us,” the Alpine Club of Pakistan stated in a social media update.
Four of the ten bodies—including Purja, two Nepalese team members, and a Chinese climber—are currently being transported down the mountain face. Rescuers spotted an additional body at a significantly higher elevation, but officials confirmed that recovery at that height remains impossible due to hazardous mountain conditions.
A Global Loss for the Mountaineering Community
Purja was leading an international team consisting of ten members, including climbers from Nepal, the United States, Oman, China, and Pakistan. Earlier in the operation, rescuers recovered and airlifted the remains of three team members—Nadhira Ahmed Abdullah Al Harthy of Oman, Mallory Geis of the United States, and Pur Bahadur Gurung of Nepal—to Skardu.
On Saturday, Purja’s guiding company, Elite Exped, confirmed that no members of the group survived the disaster.
The Legacy of “Nims Dai”
Born in Dana village in the Myagdi district of Nepal, Purja was a proud former Gurkha soldier in the British military. His heritage and deep dedication to service inspired millions worldwide.
In 2019, Purja captured global attention by scaling all 14 of the world’s 8,000-meter peaks in a record-breaking 189 days, an achievement chronicled in the popular Netflix documentary 14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible. His courageous spirit, military discipline, and passion for extreme high-altitude mountaineering transformed the modern climbing landscape.
